UofL Women’s Basketball

Team listens to Head Coach Abby Pyzik Smith during a water break in the game against Averett University on Tuesday, November 13, 2018, Photo retrieved from Lynchburg Sports Website.

On Sunday, December 2, the University of Lynchburg women’s basketball team defeated Shenandoah University by a score of 74 to 62. This win marks their second Old Dominion Athletic Conference (ODAC) win and their third team win overall.

After losing a nail-biter on Thursday, November 19, the Lady Hornets are using their win against Shenandoah University to regain some momentum after losing a close one to Randolph-Macon on Thursday, November 29 by score of 55 to 58. The team seemed to bounce back quickly after the loss and came out with a vengeance against Shenandoah University.

This year, the team’s culture has been centered on making lasting connections between teammates. Sophomore Guard Carolyn Noe said it best when she remarked, “Our team is young this year which means that we are learning a lot. Our chemistry is getting stronger every day, and we are improving with every game of the season. It’s exciting moving forward with this squad because we are so capable of achieving a lot together.”

According to manager Christian Lohiser, the amazing thing about the women’s basketball team is the amount of support each teammate gives to one another. Lohiser expressed, “Support can best be seen when we are in the locker room or even on the bench during our games. On the bench, we are supporting each other by encouraging the girls, reinforcing plays, and celebrating scores. For someone who is not an athlete and cannot athletically contribute to the team, I always make sure to tell the ladies that they are my most favorite part of my day. I truly love being able to be a support piece for them and giving them positive reinforcement.”

Lohiser goes even further to say that this team is strong because of its strong leadership from seniors Alex Allen and Molly Shepard. She explains that Allen and Shepard are great at giving constructive criticism to all of the younger girls on the team. Lohiser insists that “negativity does not produce positive results on the court,” and insists that this positivity has been an important role in allowing the team to continuously be improving throughout the beginning portion of the season.

Lynchburg women’s basketball continues their quest this week on Wayne Proffitt Court in the Turner Gymnasium. There first match of the week will be at 7 p. m. against the Wildcats of Randolph College today (Wednesday, December 5), and their second match will be at 2 p. m. against the Marlins of Virginia Wesleyan University on Saturday, December 8. These games will be their first home games since Tuesday, November 13, so make sure to come out to support your Lady Hornets!